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Monday, June 23, 2014

FACEOFF: Book Review

EDITED BY

DAVID BALDACCI

For the first time ever

the world’s greatest thrillercharacters meet head-to-head

in 11 electrifying stories

Where else will you be able to read about Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme meets John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport? Fans of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone and James Rollins’ Gray Pierce have waited for years to see those characters together. Then there’s Lee Child’s Jack Reacher meeting up with Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller in a bar in Boston. Steve Martini’s Paul Madriani becoming entangled with Linda Fairstein’s Alex Cooper. Plus, you can’t forget the ever-odd Aloysius Pendergast coming face to face with the scary world of R.L. Stine.

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, FACEOFF (Simon & Schuster; June 3, 2014; $26.99) is a who’s who of not only the most beloved contemporary thriller writers, but also their iconic characters—putting them head-to-head with their most worthy opponents.

As worlds collide, the characters you think you know best are thrown into unpredictable situations and partnered with, pitted against, and, in some cases, romantically entangled with, characters you’d never suspect—and some that you would. With introductions to the stories that describes the writers, their characters, and a bit about the story’s creation, FACEOFF is truly a treasure trove for thriller fans.

About ITW:

The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas. One of the main purposes of the organization is to provide a way for successful, bestselling authors to help debut and midlist authors advance their careers. In addition, ITW promotes literacy, gives money to worthy organizations, supports libraries, and advances the genre. For more information, visit: www.thrillerwriters.org.

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FACEOFF

Edited by David Baldacci

Simon & Schuster; June 3, 2014

$26.99; 320 pages

ISBN: 978-1-47676-206-7

My review:

I was asked to review one of the stories. I decided to pick the first one actually in the book called "Red Eye." This is a collaboration between the two authors Dennis Lehane & Michael Connelly.

And involves their iconic characters Harry Bosch and Patrick Kenzie. Since one is located in LA and the other one is in Boston, they had to work on a case that could get them together. Since Bosch works on cold cases - it made more sense for him to fly into Boston.

This is where both end up casing the same apartment and are looking at the same suspect in two different crimes. Both involve the abduction of little girls. And the race is on for the little girl that is missing now. If they don't find her soon, they fear she will be murdered.

This is an exciting story with a dramatic conclusion. I really enjoyed it. And am looking forward to reading more stories in Faceoff.